The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-09-07
LAND FOR THE LANDLEss.

The Republican party, almost from the
day that it came into power, began the
work of giving away ths public land to
railroad and land sharks of every descrip-
ton. The rights, interests and welfare of
the people were totally disregarded by the
Republican party. Said the Hon. S. NJ.
Stockslager, member of the Forty-eighth
Congress, from Indiana:
1.-THE American people were amazed
when they learned that on the 1st day OF
July, 1862, just forty-one days after the
homestead law was approved, the same
Congress, with reckless disregard of their
own action never before witnessed, granted
to the Union and Pacific Railroads mag
nifcent belt OF land forty miles wide, ex-
tending from the Missouri River to near
the bay of San Francisco, and containing
to the Union Pacific 16, 115, 900 acres and
to the Central Pacific 1920, 900 acres
Thus the homestead law, by which the
millions of acres of unsettled land was
pledged to the people as heritage TO the
actual settlers-to the men OF toll who
would cultivate them and make them bios
som and bloom and bear fruit
was violated, disregarded, and set aside,
and most gigantic system of reckless
squandering of the lands inaugurated.
This was an entire change in our land sys-
tenn, both in the manner of disposing of
the public lands and of the amounts to be
given. Before that date not a single acre
OF the public domain was ever granted to
a railroad or other corporation. Dona-
tons of the public lands had been made
from time to time 10 the States, aggregat-
ing IN all 81, 800, $40 sores, for the purpose
of, being disposed of by the States in aid of
education, for military roads, for internal
improvements and for railroads. But the
grants were all to the Stetes.".
The Republican party has been from the
first the monopolist party. 1t has sought
in every possible way to create an aristo-
cratic class, based upon wealth. 1t has not
only robbed the people of their lands to
create landed aristocracy as crushing as
that of England, Scotland and Ireland, but
it has sought by tariff protection to enrich
the few by burdening the poor with enor-
nous taxation upon the prime necessities
of life. There is no more vital question
than that which relates to The public lands,
the public domain-the broad acres design
ed by a beneficent Providence for the
homes of the people. The Republican
party has from the first ignored the people;
it has legislated for the land-grabber, the
land thief, the land monopolist, the landed
sristocrat, and this policy of the Republi-
can party was kept up until 10000, 900
acres of land was granted to railroad cor
porations. Says Mr.. Stockslager, now act
ing Land Commissioner, in his speech in
the 4sth Congress:
The mind is staggered in an effort to
contemplate this imperial estate granted
to great corporations. 1t can only be
grasped by comparison, You can carve
out of it l, $50, 900 homesteads of one hun
dred and sixty acres each. 1t is equal to
two hundred and forty States the size of
Rhode Island. 1t is equal IN area to seven
States like Pennsy lvania. with her As 2l5
square miles; four aud one-half times as
large as all the New England States; equal
to the thirteen original States, which have
| 204, 001, 2S0 acres. The total area Of Great
Britain and Ireland is "a 1877 800. acres, or
but little more than one-thIrd these grants.
There is rot among all the enlightened ma
tons of Modern Europe one that has an
area which equals that of our railroad
kings The empire of Austria Hungary
and the kingdom of Italy, with SEitzsr-
| land and the Netherlands added, have an
area of only 250,012 $50 acres. The crea-
ton by law of this most gigantic land mo-
nopoly the world has ever seen must in
the very nature OF things be felt upon our
| institutions and upon our people. The ex-
ample of the Federal Government has been
/ followed by some of our States, which have
| granted millions of acres of their public
lands to railroad corporations or sold them
in large bodies to individuals. All the
barriers have been thrown down, and TO-
/ eign and domestic capitalists have been
reaplDg rich harvest for themselves In
the purchase of vast areas of land. But so
far as the people are concerned, they,
through their unworthy representatives,
have sown the wind, and they are des-
tined to reap the whirlwind.
The Democratic party is now engaged,
and has been engaged at all times when
an opportunity offered, to put stop to
this squsndering OF the public lands by
the Republican party, and nov that it has
the power 10 stop the stupendOus wrong
it is ugaining some of the
land the Republican party bestowed upon
railroad corporations and which has been
forfeited. A Washington dispatch OF re-
cent date says the Assistant Land Com
missioner has issued orders relative to the
land of the Atlantic and Pacific railroad
and also in reference to the Florida Rail.
| way and Navigation, and the Gulf and